W Series names long-list of drivers

W Series, the all-female championship set to go racing in 2019, has announced a long-list of more than 50 drivers who will compete for a place on the grid of 18 when the season kicks off in May next year.

The qualifying drivers were carefully selected from a pool of more than 100 applicants from 30 countries around the world, including the USA, China and India as well as the UK, Italy, Germany and Scandinavia.

Catherine Bond Muir, W Series CEO said:

“We are thrilled but perhaps not surprised by the response.

“Even today there is a massive gender imbalance in motorsport and W Series is making the first step to correct that. Drivers from all over the world have stepped forward, so it’s clear that with the right framework we can make the changes this sport desperately needs.”

Not only is W Series a free-to-enter competition, but a total prize fund of $1,500,000 has been assigned, with the overall series winner taking $500,000. W Series will also fund travel and subsistence costs, which opens the competition to drivers from all economic backgrounds across the world.

The hopeful drivers will now have just two months to prepare for the next step in the selection process – a three-day on-and-off-track trial including fitness tests and psychometric profiling, as well as multiple driving skill tests. Former F1 stars David Coulthard and Alex Wurz will be among the judges, alongside Dave Ryan, W Series Racing Director.

David Coulthard, W Series Advisory Board Chair said:

“We designed W Series specifically to shine a light on female talent right around the world.

“I can’t wait to be part of the next stage and to see some of that talent in action.”

The final grid will be determined following a series of track tests in the W Series race car – a 2019 Tatuus T-318 – ahead of the season’s first race, at Hockenheim in Germany on May 3.

Full qualifier list

Ayla Agren, 25, Norway

Amna Al Qubaisi,18, UAE

Chelsea Angelo, 22, Australia

Carmen Boix, 23, Spain

Sarah Bovy, 29, Belgium

Toni Breidinger, 19, USA

Ivana Cetinich, 22, South Africa

Jamie Chadwick, 20, UK

Veronika Cicha, 31, Czech Republic

Sabre Cook, 24, USA

Courtney Crone, 17, USA

Natalie Decker, 21, USA

Mira Erda, 18, India

Carlotta Fedeli, 26, Italy

Cassie Gannis, 27, USA

Marta Garcia, 18, Spain

Michelle Gatting, 24, Denmark

Angelique Germann, 27 Germany

Megan Gilkes, 17, Canada

Samin Gomez, 26, Venezuela

Grace Gui, 27, China

Michelle Halder, 19, Germany

Esmee Hawkey, 20, UK

Jessica Hawkins, 23, UK

Shea Holbrook, 28, USA

Carmen Jorda, 30, Spain

Vivien Keszthelyi, 17, Hungary

Emma Kimilainen, 29, Finland

Natalia Kowalska, 28, Poland

Stephane Kox, 24, Netherland

Miki Koyama, 21, Japan

Fabienne Lanz, 32, South Africa

Milla Mäkelä, 25, Finland

Alexandra Marinescu, 18, Romania

Milou Mets, 28, Netherlands

Sheena Monk, 29, USA

Sarah Moore, 25, UK

Marylin Niederhauser, 22, Switzerland

Tasmin Pepper, 28, South Africa

Vicky Piria, 24, Italy

Taegen Poles, 20, Canada

Alice Powell, 25, UK

Charlotte Poynting, 20, Australia

Naomi Schiff, 24, Belgium

Carrie Schreiner, 20, Germany

Sharon Scolari, 23, Switzerland

Doreen Seidel, 33, Germany

Siti Shahkirah, 24, Malaysia

Sneha Sharma, 28, India

Bruna Tomaselli, 21, Brazil

Shirley Van Der Lof, 31, Netherlands

Beitske Visser, 23, Netherlands

Fabienne Wohlwend, 21, Lichenstein

Caitlin Wood, 21, Australia

Hanna Zellers, 21, USA

Further details of all qualifying drivers will be available on www.wseries.com from November 29.

Autosport Awards 2018

Six drivers, Alice Powell (UK), Shea Holbrook (USA), Naomi Schiff (Belgium), Emma Kimilainen (Finland), Stephane Kox (Netherlands) and Vicky Piria (Italy), have been chosen as ambassadors to represent all the W Series qualifiers and attend the glittering 2018 Autosport Awards event in London on Sunday December 2.

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